Indien: Twelth Five Year Plan (2012-2017) - Faster, More Inclusive and Sustainable Growth

The main goals and objectives laid down by the 12th Plan for Science and Technology, Higher Education and Innovation are as follows:

Science and Technology

• Strategic interventions to emerge as one of the top six global powers in S&T. This would call for increasing the volume share of scientific publications from a global share of 3 per cent to 5 per cent (62500); the FTE of R&D personnel to be increased from the current level of 154000 to about 250000; and increase the commercialization of patent portfolio to 5–6 per cent from a level of less than 2 per cent;

• Increase R&D expenditure to 2 per cent of GDP and significantly enhance corporate sector R&D expenditure to at least 1 per cent of GDP by attracting investments and engaging the corporate sector (including Public Sector Undertakings) in R&D through policy and reforms processes;

• Earmark 10–15 per cent of public investment exclusively for public–private partnership (PPP) R&D to private sector through the competitive grant process with a stipulation that comparable provisions would be made by the private sector under PPP model;

• Provide more flexibility to the younger generation of scientists to pursue their ideas and greater mobility between industry, academia and R&D institutions; strengthen gender parity in R&D by way of mobility and women re-entry programmes; consolidate on the gains achieved during the Eleventh Plan in nurturing students to pursue science as a career;

• Create new body called Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) to replace the current (SERC) for promoting basic research in the country. It will also cover all the schemes such extra mural research and others. SERB proposes to invest into researchers of proven record and establish about 200–250 centres based on grant model with fixed budgets and reward–performance relationships;

• Leverage the large-scale innovative component of strategic research spin-offs from defence, space and atomic energy for civilian benefits in a much larger segment. The strategic research sector could play an effective role in meeting the national developmental goals in non-strategic areas, whether it is space technology, nuclear technology or defence research. Several technologies developed by the strategic sector could trigger successful spin-offs for social and industrial sectors. A suitable mechanism to provide thrust to utilising outputs of strategic research for the social and industrial sectors needs to be worked out and created.;

• While PAN-India missions could bring about synergies in R&D programmes at the national level, the efforts need to be made to position Indian researchers at the global level. This involves participation at the international level in exciting experiments like in European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and International ThermonuclearExperimental Reactor (ITER). During the Twelfth Plan period, India needs to invest into developing following major Mega facilities: (i) Laser Inter ferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) Experiments;(ii) India-based Neutrino Observat ory (INO); (iii) Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT); (iv) Square Kilometre Array (SKA); (v) National Large Solar Telescope and (vi) Next Generation Synchrotron. Other project include India-based Neutrino Observatory, Thirty Meter Telescope, Square Kilometer Array;
  
  

Universities

• Rejuvenation of Research in the University Sector: New schemes to promote the international S&T cooperation for the performing universities areproposed during the Twelfth Plan. Increase the higher education budget by 30%, that is two and a half times the budget of XIth Plan;

• Increase Gross Enrolment Ratio from 17.9 per cent in 2011-2012 to 25.2 per cent by 2017;

• The Twelfth Plan advocates a paradigm shift in funding from demand-based grants and input based budgeting to normative and entitlement-based grants and outcome-based budgeting in the higher education sector. Consequently, annual funding should be linked to the performance of institutions against the milestones and targets laid down in their strategic plans;

• Foster inter-disciplinary research, enhance research training and increase innovation capacity by establishing 10 Inter-Institutional Centres (IICs) in the Twelfth Plan. Create new R&D institutions in trans-disciplinary science and engineering to achieve leadership positions;

• The Twelfth Plan will aim to create 20 Centres of Excellence as world-class research centres within existing universities and institutions of national repute. In addition, fifty (50) centres for training and research in the frontier areas of science and technology, social science and humanities would be established. The goal is to build the competencies of the host institutions in selected disciplines of national importance. Collaborations with promising faculty across the nation will be encouraged;

• A National Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will be launched. For this, a nodal agency—potentially called the Council for Industry and Higher Education Collaboration (CIHEC)— would be established to promote and facilitate industry- higher education collaboration. CIHEC will be an independent not-for-profit organisation founded by contributions from industry and government and will comprise business and higher education leaders;

Innovation

• This new paradigm of innovation, focused on producing ‘frugal’ cost solutions with ‘frugal’ costs of innovation, in which India may be emerging as a global leader. Conversion of R&D to results for people requires an ecosystem of enterprises working in conjunction: entrepreneurs, researchers, finance providers, business enterprises, and policymakers. Therefore, the national strategies for innovation need to focus on various types of institutions in the ecosystem and aim for more effective collaboration amongst them;

• The creation of an Indian Model of Innovation by looking at five key parameters: Platform, Inclusion, Ecosystem, Drivers and Discourse. The aim is to redefine innovations to go beyond formal R&D parameters and look at innovation as a broader concept.

• India Inclusive Innovation Funds (IIIFs). NInC is creating IIIF fund which seeks to promote enterprises engaged in developing solutions in key areas such as health, education, agriculture, handloom, handicrafts and other small business enterprises. The fund will combine commercial and social returns. The Fund will be capitalised to an eventual target size of INR 50000 million to be staggered in phases. Government of India has committed seed capital of INR 1000 million to kick-start the Fund and NInC will aim to operationalise this Fund by 2013.

• Increasing Skills, Productivity and Competitiveness of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through innovation. The Pilot Phase of the Innovation Cluster Initiativehas been launched and nine clusters (seven industry and two university) have been chosen to be part of this phase.